Grey
by Rev's Little Synner
Summary: This is for MayNightingale. Not finished.


"You know, this is where all the horror movies take place. In woods like these. No civilization, no telephones, dark green trees and plants everywhere," Brian chuckled, shaking his head. "If you ask me, this isn't very safe."

"Only you would say that," Grey mused, walking beside his lean, muscular friend. "You watch too many horror movies."

"Hey, you gotta admit, they're pretty good."

"Not the slightest bit."

Grey side glanced a Brian, catching the roll of his caramel irises in disagreement. The older had a addiction to horror movies. Especially ones that had paranormal activity in them. And the ones he watched usually took place in the woods or thick forests. Whenever Grey would go to Brian's home to spend some time with his friend, Brian would be sitting on the couch with his eyes glued to the huge, flatscreen T.V in his house. There would be nothing surrounding him but a large bowl of butter-soaked popcorn, a remote and a two liter of soda.

It took all Grey's strength to pry Brian off the couch and convince him to go hiking with him. Of course, Brian screamed refusal but after threatening to take the T.V out of the stand on which it sat and run over it with his car, Grey finally got a gruff 'you owe me big time for this' out of Brian and forced him to walk with him.

Grey always wondered where all that fat that he gained eating so much junk food went.

Now here they were, in a lush green, beautiful forest with birds singing with the beauty of their voices, fat bumblebees buzzing lazily over each colorful flower, and a golden sand trail that wove through the spaced trees like a winding snake.

It was quiet gorgeous really, and here was Brian standing beside him pointing out how that stick jutting out of the bush looked like a crooked finger, two dark berries reflected the sun like crimson eyes and the gentle wind blowing sounded like the howl of a spirit.

"Brian, we're here to meet up with Rin and go for a walk. There is no spirits, no scattered body parts and nothing is watching us." Grey told Brian with a slightly firm tone to conform his words.

Brian ran a hand through his feathery, gel-spiked hair and grunted, snatching a leaf from a branch and crushing it with his long fingers. "Gotcha, Smokey."

Grey was about to say something about the name Brian just called him, but the slightest flicker of movement in the corner of his eye made him turn around completely, facing the way they just came.

He didn't see anything moving, not even a bird flitting in the trees. Confused, he raised his eyebrow and started to turn around when the berries that Brian pointed out gave a long, slow blink. It wasn't like the blink of a raccoon where the blinks are fast, no this was slow and thoughtful. He paused in mid-turn and studied the berries for a second but there was no signs of them being alive. They didn't shift, and as he looked closer, he saw there was no pupils. So nothing could be watching them. What kind of eyes have no pupils? But as he lifted his eyes further up, a slight chill ran down his spine.

The bent twig wasn't there anymore.

"Hey Grey, uh, you okay?" He felt Brian's large hand cup his shoulder and could hear the lace of worry weaving through his friend's voice.

"Huh, what?" Grey shook his head. "Yeah of course I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well you were just standing there staring at a bush for the past five minutes. I thought maybe you saw something."

"I didn't, don't worry." Grey gave a comforting smile. "And for the record, it's Grey. Not Smokey."

"Whatever you say...Smokey."

It was evening now, and the soft song of crickets chirping was the soothing lullaby of the woods instead of the bright, cheery bird songs.  
Grey and Brian had picked up Brian's girlfriend, Rin, from where she was waiting at one of the trail-markers, and were about five miles from the nearest ranger station where they could grab a few snacks and drinks and walk back on home.  
It was a nice quality time with Grey's friends, and all three were enjoying it so far.

Rin loved how colorful everything was, the flowers, the glowing green of the trees, the vividly colored birds. She squeaked when she saw a nestling lying helpless on the ground. It had fallen from its nest and was too weak to get back up.  
So with gentle, snow-pale hands, she scooped up the tiny bird and placed it back in the intertwined sticks with the rest of its family.

Brian's eyes sparkled like dewdrops in the sunlight every time he heard his girlfriend giggle. Grey could tell just by how he stood that he was madly in love with her. Brian was good at hiding expressions, but the look that perched upon his face when Rin would place a kiss on his cheek, or curl her hand in his, was nothing worth hiding.

Grey was happy just seeing them happy. They were his two best friends, and the trio of them were very closely knitted together.  
Just like a family.

And for a second, everything was peaceful.

The sunset stained the tips of the trees orange and illuminated the path to make it a even more beautiful gold.

The crickets matched their songs in harmony, some notes were higher, and some were lower. But it was flowed together so smoothly, it was as if the orchestra instructed the insects themselves.

For a heartbeat, everybody was happy.

Rin had one hand clasped in Brian's and another running along a large, feathery bush.

Brian was humming a pattern that matched the crickets chirping, his vocals slid right in with the crickets' music.

Grey was enjoying the sun-washed forest, eyes taking in every detail of the trees, the plants, the blossoms.

It was perfect, wonderful.

But that all stopped in Grey's view when his observing caught a familiar object.

There, sticking out of the leafy bush ahead of the three was the thing.

Horribly familiar, Grey hated the word horribly, but it was true.

The crooked branch was jutting out of it.

And it was pointing right at them.


End file.
